In general web search sites, such as Google™ or Bing™, users expect to be able to enter any type of query in a single search box, and get relevant search results tailored to their query. For example, a Google™ search for ‘hampton’ may return a map of possible locations for Hampton, contact details for businesses including the word ‘Hampton’, and news items about or by people called Hampton.
Vertical search engines, on the other hand, are designed for searching specific classes of content, and typically require the user to select the appropriate vertical search engine for the required class. For example, the applicant's ‘My Sky’ web site includes separate search pages for programme content (‘Find & Watch TV’), support (‘Help and Support’), and products (‘Sky Products’). Each of these search pages returns results in a format appropriate to the class of content searched.
In keeping with customer expectations from general web search engines, vertical search engines may provide a single search box allowing users to search across multiple classes of content. For example, the applicant's ‘My Sky’ web page (available on 6 Feb. 2012 at http://www.sky.com/mysky/indexb.html) allows users to search across programme content, support and products. However, such searches typically return content from all classes, regardless of the likely search intent of the user. For example, a search for ‘PIN’ on the ‘My Sky’ web page may return support information about finding or resetting a PIN, which is likely to be the information required, but also may return for example a program listing relating to ‘Ten Pin Bowling’ and a news item relating to ‘Elizabeth Hurley's Pin Dress’, which are less likely to be required.
It would be desirable to combine the convenience of a single search box with the relevance of search results tailored to the user's search intent, particularly in a vertical search engine. However, it is difficult to predict reliably which class of content corresponds to the user's search intent.